Decarbonizing Transport via Multimodal Systems
DETAILS
CALL FOR PAPERS
Decarbonizing Transport via Multimodal Systems
Journal: Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment
Publisher: Elsevier
Submission Deadline: 31 December 2026
Introduction
This Special Issue welcomes pioneering studies that develop models, frameworks, or governance approaches to guide the planning and implementation of sustainable multimodal freight and passenger transport. It particularly encourages contributions offering generalizable insights or transferable tools that can accelerate the global transition toward low-carbon mobility.
As transport systems face mounting pressure to decarbonize, multimodal approaches — integrating road, rail, air, and maritime modes — offer significant potential to reduce emissions while improving efficiency, equity, and resilience. This Special Issue provides a dedicated forum for cutting-edge research addressing the technical, policy, social, and governance dimensions of this transition.
Scope & Significance
The decarbonization of transport is one of the most pressing challenges of our time. Multimodal systems offer a promising pathway — but realizing their potential requires integrated research spanning network design, life-cycle analysis, policy instruments, and social equity. This Special Issue seeks to bridge these dimensions — bringing together contributions from engineering, economics, planning, and policy to shape the future of sustainable multimodal transport.
List of Topic Areas
Manuscripts are invited on themes including, but not limited to:
Technologies and strategies for emission reduction in multimodal freight and passenger systems
Low-emission network design and optimization for multimodal systems
Integrated assessment of multimodal systems — including life-cycle analysis, carbon accounting, and managing multi-objective trade-offs such as emissions vs. cost, time, and reliability
Social and equity impacts of low-carbon multimodal systems
Policy instruments and incentives to support multimodal integration and deep decarbonization
Governance frameworks for sustainable multimodal transport planning and implementation
Sustainable logistics and freight decarbonization
System optimization for low-carbon mobility transitions
Transferable tools and generalizable models for global transport decarbonization
Guest Editors
Dr. Zhuoqian Yang Southwest Jiaotong University, China 📧 z.yang@swjtu.edu.cn
Dr. Yimeng Zhang Southwest Jiaotong University, China 📧 yimengzhang@swjtu.edu.cn
Dr. Zihao An University of Leeds, UK 📧 Z.An@leeds.ac.uk
Dr. Bilge Atasoy Delft University of Technology, Netherlands 📧 B.Atasoy@tudelft.nl
Dr. Sihan Wang Southwest Jiaotong University, China 📧 sihanwang@swjtu.edu.cn
Key Deadlines
Manuscript Submission Deadline: 31 December 2026
Submission Guidelines
All submissions must be made via the Transportation Research Part D (TRD) official online submission system.
When choosing the Manuscript Article Type during the submission procedure, select: "VSI:: Multimodal Transport" (Otherwise your submission will be handled as a regular manuscript.)
Acceptance criteria include:
Originality and novelty of contribution
Scientific merit and rigor
Relevance to the theme and scope of TRD
High-quality academic writing in English
All submitted papers will undergo a detailed peer-review process based on referees' and editors' recommendations.
All submissions must be original and must not be under review elsewhere at the time of submission.
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